UMass Ski Teams Open Season With UMass/Smith CarnivalFans with 5-College ID can ski Berkshire East for just $15 following opening day's competition

Make sure you catch all the exciting ski action on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 14-15, as the Minutemen host the UMass/Smith Carnival.

Jan. 4, 2005

AMHERST, Mass. -
The University of Massachusetts men's and women's ski teams open their respective seasons on Friday, Jan. 14 when they host the UMass/Smith Carnival at Berkshire East in Charlemont, Mass. The carnival will start on Friday with the giant slalom, while on Saturday, Jan. 15 the Minutemen will run the slalom.

As a special promotion for the event, which is the only home event for UMass, fans who attend can ski Berkshire East for just $15 on Friday with a 5-College ID card.

A total of 11 schools, including UMass, will compete in the carnival. All schools are part of the MacConnell Division.

Each day is divided into two runs, with a break for lunch in between.

The women will compete before the men on both the first run, which starts at 9:30 a.m., and the second run which starts at 12:30 p.m. The races should be concluded by 2:30 p.m. There is no charge to watch the event on either day.

The carnival will be held at Berkshire East in Charlemont which is about a 45-minute drive from Amherst. The Berkshire East lodge has a cafeteria and a second floor deck that has a great view of the race course. Directions and other info can be found at www.berkshireeast.com.

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Giant Slalom Results
The UMass Women's Ski Team got underway at the USCSA Nationals on Wednesday, skiing to a sixth place finish in the Giant Slalom in Winter Park, Colo. Emily Shilletto (Toronto, Ont.) led the way for the Minutewomen, finishing 13th. The Women's Team will be back in action on Friday when they will compete in the Slalom.

The UMass Women's Ski Team captured a trip to the USCSA Nationals next weekend after their fifth place finish in last weekend's ECSC Regionals. The Minutewomen placed three skiers in the top-15 during both days of the Regionals. The Men's team, the defending USCSA National Champions, will not be returning to the Nationals after their sixth place finish over the weekend. The Minutemen had a tough day in Saturday's Slalom, finishing in ninth place before recovering with a second place finish in the Giant Slalom.

Slalom Results | Giant Slalom Results
The UMass Ski team competed in the ECSC Regionals this past weekend in Waterville Valley, N.H. The women's team finished fifth overall, securing a spot in the USCSA Nationals in Winter Park, Colo. from March 3-7. The Men's team finished sixth overall after a disappointing ninth place finish in the Slalom before a second place finish in Sunday's Giant Slalom. UMass Skiing will be back in action this weekend when they will participate in the EISA Regionals at Sugarloff.